BIO409H5 Chapter 9: Ch. 9 pt. 1
Document Summary
The conversion of solar energy to the chemical energy of organic compounds is a complex process that includes electron transport and photosynthetic carbon metabolism. Under natural conditions, the photosynthetic process takes place in intact organisms that are continuously responding to the internal and external changes. The impact of the environment on photosynthesis is of the interest to plant physiologists, ecologists, and agronomists. The dependence of photosynthetic processes on environmental conditions is also important to agronomists because plant productivity, and hence crop yield, depend strongly on prevailing photosynthetic rates in dynamic environments. To the ecologist, the fact that photosynthetic rates and capacitates vary among different environments is of great interest in terms of adaptation and evolution. In studying the environmental dependence of photosynthesis, a central question arises: how many environmental factors can limit photosynthesis at one time? slowest step in the process (limiting factor) In the intact leaf, three major metabolic properties have been identified as important for optimal photosynthetic performance.
